Self-care note: While some of the following stories celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ people, many cover legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans and nonbinary youth. Please be kind to yourself and use your discretion while reading this section. Advisory: State news is representative but not exhaustive due to space constraints; feel free to forward news about your state to [email protected] to consider for inclusion. Pro-inclusive education school board candidates win seats across the country. School boards across the country held on November 7th. Pro-inclusive education candidates took control in high-profile races Iowa, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and in other states. The American Federation of Teachers said candidates publicly endorsed by conservative groups such as Moms for Liberty and the 1776 Project lost about 70% of their races nationally in elections this week. Alabama - Smiths Station Mayor dies by suicide after photos of him dressed in women’s clothing leak. F.L. “Bubba” Copeland was mayor of Smiths Station as well as the pastor of a local Baptist church. A conservative blog posted photos of the Mayor in women’s clothing under the pseudonym “Brittini Blaire Summerlin” on November 1st. Copeland died by suicide on November 3rd. District of Columbia - Former headquarters of lesbian feminist group under consideration for National Historic Landmark designation. A rowhouse on Capitol Hill served as the headquarters for the Furies Collective, a lesbian feminist group, in the 1970’s. The National Park System’s National Historic Landmarks Committee is scheduled to discuss and make a recommendation on the Furies Collective house designation at a Nov. 16th virtual meeting. Florida - Schools require parental consent for nicknames, name and pronoun changes. Many trans and non-binary youth are forced to go by their deadnames at school because they do not feel safe coming out to their parents. Iowa - Moms for Liberty-endorsed school board candidates lose races across state. The organization, which broadly supports anti-LGBTQ+ measures in schools and libraries, endorsed candidates in school board races in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids metro areas. On November 7th, 92 percent of Moms for Liberty-endorsed candidates lost. Kentucky - Governor Andy Beshear wins re-election. Kentuckians re-elected the governor by a five percent margin. The governor’s opponent, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, attacked Governor Beshear’s support for medically necessary gender-affirming care for transgender youth during the campaign. Maryland - Attorney General Anthony Brown files amicus brief in support of Montgomery County inclusive curriculum. Attorney General Brown and 18 other U.S. Attorneys General filed a brief to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Montgomery County’s decision to incorporate inclusive story books into elementary English language arts curriculum without allowing parents to opt-out their students. PFLAG National, joined by PFLAG Metro DC, PFLAG Charlotte, PFLAG Concord-Kannapolis, PFLAG GVL (Greenville, SC), PFLAG Salisbury-Rowan, and PFLAG Westminster-Carroll County in states covered by the Fourth Circuit, filed an amicus brief to support the Montgomery County policy. Mississippi - Gov. Tate Reeves wins re-election. The governor won a second term in the closest Mississippi gubernatorial election in over 20 years. Ohio - Voters approve constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights. Issue 1, which codified access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare into the State Constitution, passed with 57% of voters supporting the measure. Voters approved Issue 2, which legalizes recreational cannabis use, by similar margins. Pennsylvania - Moms for Liberty-endorsed school board candidates lose elections. Candidates opposing inclusive education and supporting book bans lost elections in Pennridge and Central Bucks County school districts on November 7th. Concurrent elections were also held for several statewide judicial offices. Tennessee - Murfreesboro celebrates BoroPride. Murfreesboro’s BoroPride festival kicked off on October 28th after a judge affirmed the organizers’ First Amendment right to hold the festival after the City Government passed an ordinance effectively banning Pride events. Texas - Trans high school student removed from role in school musical. Max Hightower, a trans boy, was cast as the male lead in Oklahoma. However, Sherman High School, located 75 miles north of Dallas, removed Max from the role, citing a policy which stated that “Actors and actresses could only play a role that was the same gender they were assigned at birth.” Virginia - Danica Roem elected to State Senate. Ms. Roem became the first openly trans state senator elected to office in any Southern state after the November 7th legislative elections, which also saw the Democratic Party take control of both houses of the state legislature. | 
